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Saturday, December 31, 2011

2011: Wrapping it all up!


It's hard to believe that another year is almost over! I've had a great year with the number of books that really touched me in some manner. My favorite book list comprises of books that made me laugh, smile, cry, freak out, become enlightened and at times I kept the characters in my heart for days. 

Favorite Books read in 2011 in order that the book was read:






Thank you so much for spending time with me during 2011 and always stopping by! I treasure all of my blogging friends and your the ones that make blogging about books a real joy!
I would like to wish each and every one of you a Happy, Blessed and joyful New Year! May 2012 bring all of us peace, love, happiness, prosperity, and good health!




Friday, December 30, 2011

Six Sentence Saturday- Friday Edition (4 mini-reviews)

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.
Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Happy that I read it...a good read.
 

2 of Hearts- Just O.K but nothing to write home about.
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)



Carrie Goes Off the Map
Author: Phillipa Ashley
Source: Review copy from Sourcebooks
Reason for reading it: I love British chick lit!
~  I love Phillipa Ashley's writing style! It never gets old and she always delivers a fun, cheeky, and sometimes steamy British Chick lit with more depth than realized at first glance. Her characters seem so real to me and oftentimes I have found myself wanting to be friends with them. I love learning British slang and there's so much of it in this one. I would love to try it out at work but I think a few of them would get me sent to the Principal's office!! If you're looking for a getaway book look no further than this one!
My Rating:







The Mercy (Rose Trilogy #3)
Author: Beverly Lewis
Source: Public Library
Reason for reading it: I needed a gentle read, plus had to finish the trilogy!
~ You all know that I love Amish fiction and in my opinion no one does it better than Beverly! This was everything that I wanted in a final book of the series. I loved how all of the pieces came together and it seemed so very authentic. Lewis' books always give me a sense of peace and serenity, but I recognize too that Amish life isn't as simplistic and wonderful as some of us outsiders may think. Lewis has captured the modern day Amish and how the English world continues to intrude on their lifestyle. She does a wonderful job of taking worldly problems and putting that Amish spin on them...excellent series!
My Rating:






Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum #16 (duh?))
Author: Janet Evanovich
Source: Public Library
Reason for reading it: Started the series a long time ago.....
~ A while back I told myself- enough of the Plum books! But then I was at the library, saw it on the shelf and said what the heck...read it! This one put a smile on my face and made me laugh on more than one occasion. I think Grandma and Lula were in rare form in this book. I also enjoyed that Stephanie is loosening up a bit and kissing on both Morelli and Ranger. But she's still a fool in my opinion for even thinking twice about Joe...I'm a Ranger girl all the way! Fun hijinks, fun story, made for an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon!
My Rating: (3.5)







The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
Source: Public Library
Reason for reading it: Many bloggers loved it, while many were like "meh"
~ This book started out so very slow for me that I almost ditched it. Then as if one of the magicians from the story put a spell on me, I found myself deeply involved by page 100!! The story grabbed me and captured my imagination and I loved this world that the author created. The characters were interesting and I couldn't get enough of their stories. And then the last couple of chapters happened....and left me pissed off!! I hated how the book ended....I expected this apocalyptic showdown between the two magicians or something spectacular...but, no.  (Don't you hate the way I ended this review? Yep, that's how I felt when I finished this book!)
My Rating:

Thursday, December 29, 2011

'All the Flowers in Shanghai' by Duncan Jepson TLC Book Stop



Summary: For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires . For Feng, that means becoming the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents. In the enclosed world of the Sang household—a place of public ceremony and private cruelty—fulfilling her duty means bearing a male heir. For every young Chinese woman in 1930s Shanghai, following the path of duty takes precedence over personal desires. The life that has been forced on her makes Feng bitter and resentful, and she plots a terrible revenge. But with the passing years comes a reckoning, and Feng must reconcile herself with the sacrifices and terrible choices she has made in order to assure her place in the family and society—even as the violent, relentless tide of revolution engulfs her country.


First thoughts after I finished: "That was a very depressing book."

I'm absolutely intrigued by the role of women in China and read almost any book that tells their story. This one sounded so wonderful and full of promise. I have to admit that it started out very slow for me and the way the author wrote had me feeling uncomfortable and out-of-step with the fluidity of the words. Eventually that seemed to work itself out and the story moved along and I found myself pulled into Feng's life story. Unfortunately for Feng, the author, and myself, I just could NOT for the life of me like this woman. She took her hatred and anger to the extreme and with that she also stole my ability to find something redeeming in her as a person. I understand what the author was trying to convey and I think his writing is beautiful, but I wish that at some point he would've created a character who had more layers and was slowly broken down. Instead, he seemed to fast forward the years and left out important character building qualities along the way.

Recommend? For those that want to read books that take place in China and during the revolution, I think you would enjoy this. I did really enjoy the Further Reading section and took note of books the author listed that I would like to read in the future.  My lack of caring for the main character is on me...no one else.

Fellow bloggers that enjoyed this book:

The Lost Entwife: "Overall – I thought the story was a beautiful look at the history of the woman in China in the 30′s.  The focus was so intent on Feng, her choices, her lifestyle, and her family, that everything else falls to the wayside.  Lush language makes the book very easy to fall into, and I was up until 2am to finish it last night because I didn’t want to put it down."

Book Hooked Blog " Just don't go into it expecting a detailed history of the Cultural Revolution - I think it actually reads better if you are already familiar to some extent with Mao and his policies and the sweep of the Cultural Revolution.  I think this would be a good book to read along with Balzac and the Little Chinese 
Seamstress."

Raging Bibliomania: "I did enjoy this book and fell into the pages quite easily. It was a story that was chock full of strong emotions and starred a character who made difficult and unpardonable choices. In the end, I think that readers of this book will grow to understand Feng and the sacrifices she made in order to preserve the very heart of herself. A very interesting offering that somewhat surprised me."

About Duncan Jepson

Duncan Jepson is the award-winning director and producer of five feature films. He has also produced documentaries for Discovery Channel Asia and National Geographic Channel. He was the editor of the Asia-based fashion magazine West East and is a founder and managing editor of the Asia Literary Review. A lawyer by profession, he lives in Hong Kong.
Visit Duncan at his website, www.alltheflowersinshanghai.com.


Source: TLC Book Tours and William Morrow
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 302
Published:  January 2012
ISBN:
9780062081605
*ARC provided
Disclaimer:Thank you to TLC Book Tours for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.


© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Why I've Been MIA- Renovations!

This looks like what I've been living in for the past month!! I know it's a crazy time to do a renovation but everything lined up for us: money, time, and the contractor to do the drywall work. We gutted our bedroom to the outside walls and had Retrofoam spray insulation in the walls. This room has been the coldest place in the entire house. Our home is over 100+ years old. It once was a schoolhouse. So needless to say the insulation that was put in wasn't really up to snuff. We can't believe how much of a difference having that foam in our room makes. We heat all winter with just our wood stove and our room has been a very comfortable 65-67 degrees!! Amazing is all I can say! Normally, that room would be around 50 degrees and we'd fight to get it warm. Now our bedroom is one that we both want to spend time in....I will post pictures when we're totally done with it. Right now it's painted. My husband will be doing all the trim work in the room and then eventually we'll pick out carpet.

We also gutted our horrible looking bathroom! It was just plain sad, let me tell you people! Now, I love it! The walls are a pale green with oak flooring, a new toilet that has the flush button on the top!! Woot! Woot! New vanity and vanity top. We still have to pick out a medicine cabinet, lighting, and finish the drop ceiling. But it already is 100x's better than it was!! We also had the contractor finish the drywall we started in our hallway and utility room. Those are both painted and now my husband just has to finish the floor in there, hang doors, and we'll call it good.

We also had the contractor finish our horrible attempt at drywalling in our front entrance. That is now primered but still needs to be painted and the floor put down. That will happen this spring.

Then the contractor finished our other botch job at the top of our stairs!! We suck at drywall! We can put it up but we have no skills for taping and mudding!! That still has to be primered and so does the upstairs hallway. We'll finish that when my husband has his next 7 days off!!

Needless to say we've been living in chaos for about a month and it has been driving all of us crazy! We were able to make the house look decent for the Christmas tree and we all took Christmas day off to rest and enjoy each others company. It was a lot of hard work but I feel like we really accomplished so much!! I'm proud of my husband...we made a good team!!

Please forgive my absence on your blogs. I will be making my rounds tomorrow because guess what???? I don't have anything pressing to do!! Yippee!!!! Now, I'm off to help my husband put our bed back up. We've been sleeping on a mattress from the camper on our living room floor. I can not wait to crawl into bed tonight!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

December Host: Let Them Read Books

The Odds by Stewart O'Nan- courtesy of NetGalley/Penguin. I have wanted to read this author after JoAnn, Diane, Margot (new convert) and Matt all wrote glowing reviews of his books. I will start with this one.

The Book of Lost Fragrances- courtesy of NetGalley/Atria Books. I'm very intrigued by the art of making perfume. I will be featuring this author and book on my blog in March.
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We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week:
I didn't review a thing last week because my husband and I have been knee deep in home renovations. I barely had the strength to read at night when we finished for the day. Also, with Christmas I just didn't have the time to sit down at the computer and write reviews nor read very many blogs. I will rectify that this week because now we're at the easy part....painting!!!

Reviews for this week:
All the Flowers in Shanghai- TLC review Thursday
Carrie Goes Off the Map- Tuesday
The Mercy (Book #3 of The Rose Trilogy)- Wednesday

On my nightstand:
With most of my scheduled review books done, I feel free!!! So this week I'm going to let my mood dictate what I will read. Here's the list that I will be picking from:

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas...from my house to yours!!

caught Daisy sleeping under the tree
Merry Christmas
 to all my family and friends. May the day be filled with love, happiness, family and wonderful memories!!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

First Chapter- First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Every Tuesday, Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea
 posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book
 she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s).
 Feel free to grab the banner and play along!

My selection this week is from a TLC Book that I will be reviewing on December 29th. I love books that take place in China and All the Flowers in Shanghai takes us back to the 1930s introducing the reader to Feng, who becomes the bride of a wealthy businessman in a marriage arranged by her parents.



I still know your face. I see it clearly as it was at the very beginning, not how it was left after I had hurt you.
  I did not see the brightness of new life in your eyes when you were born or cradle your warm fleshy body to my breast, and wish now that I had. I wish I had just looked....but I did not let myself because to me you were stillborn. You were not a living person to me then, but an object of hatred, created merely to be beaten and scarred.

Would you continue reading this one
 based on the opening paragraph?

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

December Host: Let Them Read Books
It's a Waverly Life- sent to me by the lovely Laurel-Rain Snow
Wild Thing- a surprise in my mailbox from Nise @ Under the Boardwalk!



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We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week:
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt- loved it! Unique and original
Dreaming of Mr. Darcy- modern P&P variation that was charming.

Reviews this week: 
Carrie Goes off the Map

On the stacks?
Anything goes as this is Christmas break for me. I'll probably read some books that I checked out from the library and I do have a TLC tour book for the end of the month.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Saturday Snapshot- Christmas Past 3: My Grandmother's Tree

Saturday Snapshot
It’s easy to participate – just post a picture
that was taken by you, a friend, or a family member and add your link on Alyce’s site.

My Grandma Vyola's tree 1978

Thursday, December 15, 2011

'Dreaming of Mr. Darcy' by Victoria Connelly


Fledgling illustrator and Darcy fanatic Kay Ashton settles in the seaside town of Lyme to finish her book, The Illustrated Mr. Darcy, when a film company arrives to make a new adaptation of Persuasion. Kay is soon falling for the handsome bad boy actor playing Captain Wentworth, but it's the quiet screenwriter Adam Craig who has more in common with her beloved Mr. Darcy. Though still healing from a broken heart, Adam finds himself unexpectedly in love with Kay, but it will take more than good intentions to convince her that her real happy ending is with him.
First Thoughts after I finished: "That was completely adorable...bring me more!"

I thought this book was just what the doctor ordered. I was completely captivated by Lyme Regis and the idea of walking in the steps of my beloved author, Jane Austen. The idea of owning a B&B on the coast in England sounds like heaven to me so I immediately connected with the main character, Kay. She comes into some inheritance which allows her to realize some of her dreams. She's besotted with Austen's writing and obsessed with all things Darcy and Captain Wentworth (Persuasion). What could top off owning your own little piece of heaven? Having an adaptation of 'Persuasion' being filmed in Lyme and housing the stars from the film in your own little B&B....did I mention that she had a gorgeous leading man sleeping just a few doors down from her own room? I loved how the author took a little bit of Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Emma made it current and such a fun read! Reading this book has now inspired me to find out more about Lyme Regis, (did you know you can take a tour of Jane's Lyme?????? Sign me up now!) Austen's letters, and of course, to make Persuasion a must read for 2012. I must meet this dashing Captain Wentworth.
Is it possible that he could replace my Mr. Darcy????


Author: Victoria Connelly
Source: review copy from Sourcebooks Landmark
Genre: P&P Modern day variation
Pages: 352
Published:  January 1, 2012
*Uncorrected ARC


Disclaimer:Thank you toSourcebooks Landmark for sending me a review copy. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

'The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: a novel in pictures



Through a kaleidoscopic array of vintage postcards, letters, magazine ads, ticket stubs, catalogue pages, fabric swatches, candy wrappers, fashion spreads, menus and more, we meet and follow Frankie on her journey in search of success and love.

The Three Reasons Review is a simple way to get your thoughts out there about a book.  The reasons are as follows complete with fancy button:


1.) Reasons you chose this book
I lost count as to how many great reviews I read of this title so I knew that I had to read it and soon! 

2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
I loved this book! It was so fun to look at the ephemera from days gone by. I would love to actually hold a scrapbook from this time period in my hands today. What a treasure it would be. The pictures from the 1920's are awesome. I love the fashion and the hair.  I loved how the author set it up in chapters and allowed the scrapbook to really tell the story. I'm a scrapbooker too and this has helped get me back into the mood of recording the stories of my children and my story too!

3.) Reasons you are recommending this book
I read this one in a couple of hours and found it to be a wonderful way to spend the time. I enjoyed looking at the styles of the day and the quirky slang. My favorite part was when Frankie spent a year in France! For those that love the roaring 20's this book is wonderful. For anyone who likes to journal or scrapbook, this is a sweet reminder of how it all started!!

Author: Caroline Preston
Published: October 25, 2011
Publisher: Ecco
Genre: Historical  Fiction

Source: My public library


Disclaimer: I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on this book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist.They are my personal reflections based solely on MYexperience while reading this novel.

© 2011, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Every Tuesday, Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea
 posts the opening paragraph (maybe two) of a book
 she decided to read based on the opening paragraph (s).
 Feel free to grab the banner and play along!

My selection this week is from a cozy that I picked up at the library last week aptly titled, Books Can Be Deceiving. I haven't been to my library in months, so I was browsing their awesome cozy selection and came up with this one. I plan on reading it over the holiday break.

  "Oh, I just love that Maxim de Winter," Violet La Ru said, her knitting needles clicking together as if to emphasize her words. "He gives me the shivers."
  "Him?" Nancy Peyton asked. "He's not nearly as scary as Mrs. Danvers."
  Lindsey Norris glanced up from her knitting at the two ladies sitting across the circle from her. It was crafternoon Thursday, where member of the crafternoon club gathered at the Briar Creek Library to do a craft- currently, they were knitting- and discuss the assigned book of the week.
Would you continue reading this one based on the opening paragraph?

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Mailbox Monday and It's Monday...What Are You Reading?

Mailbox Monday 
is a gathering place for readers to share the books that
came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. 
Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

December Host: Let Them Read Books
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves-author review request (Feb. review)
The Night Sky- author review request (Jan.review + giveaway)
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We discuss the books that we've read 
and what we're planning to read for the week.

Read and reviewed last week: 
The Printmaker's Daughter- fascinating look into the Edo time period of Japan
Mozart's Last Aria- excellent historial fiction about Mozart and his little-known sister

Reviews for this week:
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt
Dreaming of Mr. Darcy

Books on my stack:
Wish You Were Here
Carrie Goes Off the Map